A Day off can be hard work
by WAG2002
Summary: It started off as a nice normal day, that should have been warning enough, when was a day at the Mansion ever normal? What do you do when your past comes to visit, and brings a date?


**A day off can be hard work**

It was a beautiful day in San Francisco, the sun was shining, the birds were shinning and there had been no demon attacks all day.

"I have to confess" Piper said "I've really enjoyed today."  
"See" Paige said smiling "There's nothing a bit of retail therapy to make a girl smile."  
"We deserved this" Phoebe said glancing at all the bags "so did my niece"  
"I've almost forgotten what a demon free day could be like" Paige said sipping her tea.

Piper and Phoebe looked at each other "Never say that."

"Why? Don't we deserve a demon free day, or two?" Paige argued.  
"Of course we do sweetie" Phoebe said "we all do, but we never say it"  
"Why not?"  
"Because…" Phoebe couldn't quite find the words "..because…things like that happen" She added looking at the tall, dark haired handsome man walking their way."  
"Oh no!" Piper said.  
"He looks normal, he looks cute, don't tell me he's a demon?" Paige asked.  
"It's worse than that" Phoebe said .  
"Hi" He said as he approached the three sisters.  
"Paige, this is Dan, our old neighbour" Phoebe said making the introductions.  
Paige smiled politely "nice to meet you"

An uncomfortable silence followed, before Phoebe spoke "What brings you back to here?"  
"We're selling the house"  
"We?" Piper asked.  
"There you are" Said a tall, beautiful, blonde haired woman as she took Dans hand.  
"Debbie this is Phoebe, Paige and Piper" Dan said introducing the new comer.  
"Piper, as in your ex?" Debbie said, trying to hide the bitterness in her voice. She had heard many things about Piper and seeing her here, now, made all her fears seem real.  
Piper just waved.  
"Oh! Know I get it" Paige said, a little louder than she intended "Ouch!" she added as Phoebe kicked her under the table.  
"Our tables ready" Debbie said before the awkwardness got much worse "it was nice meeting you" she added with a fake smile.

"Can we go know?" Piper asked "before anything else happens?"

Back at the manor Piper was folding all the new baby clothes that her and her sister had bought. She was also enjoying watching Leo work on the nursery.  
"Are you staring Mrs Halliwell?" Leo said over his shoulder.  
"Always! It's just good to see you use your hands again"  
Leo moved over to the bed and took his wife in a warm, if slightly sweaty embrace "I can do many things with my hands" he said with a wicked twinkle in his eye.  
"Oh I know"

KNOCK KNOCK

"I'll get it" Phoebe shouted upstairs "not that you can hear me" she muttered to herself. It was good to hear Piper laugh, her and Leo deserved to be happy.

"Hi, again" said Piper as she opened to door to Dan, and Debbie.  
"I don't suppose you have some tools I could borrow?" Dan asked a little embarrassed.  
"Um…sure…come in" Phoebe told them to wait in the living room "I'll be right back"  
"Piper! Leo! Get down here!" she yelled as she started to run upstairs, only to come face to face with Piper running down stairs, still laughing.  
"We have guests"  
"I didn't hear the door"  
"You sounded busy"  
"Hey" Dan said joining the two girls at the bottom of the stairs.  
"You can't get away that easily" Leo said as he too ran down the stairs, only to come face to face with Dan "Dan"  
"Leo"  
Dan looked at Piper "I don't know what to say?"  
Piper crossed her arms "There's nothing to say."  
Debbie joined Dan "hey what's taking so long….Leo? Is that you?"  
Piper looked at Debbie then at Leo "Leo?"  
"It's a long story"  
"You best start talking then"  
"Um…" Leo wasn't sure how exactly to say what he needed to say "business?"

"Business?!" Piper could feel herself getting aggravated, and faint, "I need to sit down"  
"He did some work round my apartment for me" Debbie added.  
"He was your handyman? Well Leo, don't you get around" Dan sounded angry.  
Piper tried to make her way to the sofa, but her legs gave way, thankfully Leo was there to catch her. Leo scooped her up in his arms like she weighed nothing.  
"I'll get some water" Phoebe said, giving her an excuse to leave the mess that was brewing.

It was then Dan noticed the gold band on Leos hand "You married him? After everything I found out! How could you trust him"  
Piper sat up straighter, she was still a little angry, at the situation more than anything else "I've always trusted him" she smiled at her husband "I've always known who he is"  
"Not always sweetie" Phoebe said handing her sister a cold glass of water "but that's not the point is it"  
"The point is" Piper said not taking her eyes of Leo "He's my angel."  
"huh" Debbie coughed "sorry, it's just, that's an interesting thing to say, about a man anyway"  
Leo gently shock his head at Debbie, hoping that she didn't say anymore in front of Dan, "Dan, I'm sorry we hurt you, but I've been in love with piper since I first saw her. There was no way I was letting her go without a fight"  
Dan half smiled "I can understand that"

"Phoebe! Please stop fussing" Piper said, as her sister tried to tuck a blanket round her legs and fluff a pillow. "I'm fine"  
"Not you I'm worried about"  
Piper placed a hand on her stomach "she's fine too"  
"She?" Dan was confused  
"I'm pregnant"

Dan opened his mouth to say something but was rudely interrupted "In coming!" Paige yelled as she ran to the living room, and promptly stopped dead at the sight of company.  
Piper leapt of the couch "hold that though" she mumbled as she froze the room "now is not good Paige"  
"Don't tell me, tell…"  
"Where are you Witch!" shouted a very deep voice.  
"…tell him" Paige said as she ducked a dark lighter arrow.  
Piper tried to freeze him, but got butterflies instead "ooo bad baby" she muttered to her stomach.  
The dark lighter hadn't seen Phoebe yet, so a round house kick soon had him of his feet. Paige called for his cross bow and shot the dark lighter with his own arrow.  
"This, Paige is why we don't jinx things" Piper said heading back to the couch.  
"Okay, I get it, sorry" she looked at Dan and Debbie "they're here because?"  
"That is exactly what I want to know" Piper said unfreezing just Leo.  
"Leo, how exactly do you know Debbie?" Piper asked firmly before he had a chance to speak.  
Leo looked at the clearly frozen pair "she was one of my charges."  
"And…."  
"..and that's it. I was assigned to be her white lighter a few years ago, when you were with Dan" Leo didn't like to think about that time "but her powers never came through, and I was too busy trying to protect you as well." Leo stepped closer to Piper "I've always loved you and sometimes it got in the way of my job, my other charges, ask her"  
"Couldn't do any harm?" Paige said.  
"Fine!" Piper said un-freezing just Debbie this time.  
"hi" Said Piper brightly "what are you?"  
"Excuse me?"  
"See, know I now you're not normal" Piper said "anyone else would say 'where did Paige come from?' or 'how come by boyfriend is frozen?' not you. So, what are you?"  
"It's okay" Leo said "they're the Charmed one" he added with Pride.  
"Wow, I mean I should have guessed, the energy in the house, the fact your sisters, it's such an honour" All of a sudden Debbie had gone from a normal, boring, and maybe slightly jealous, woman to someone who just met her idle.  
"Keep talking"  
"Sorry, well, my mother was a witch, a pretty powerful I think, I only found out when she passed away. I found all these books and spells and candles and I just didn't know what to do. That's when I met Leo, he came to fix the plumbing in my flat, or that's how it began, I know how odd this all sounds"  
"It's easier to believe than you'd think" Phoebe said.

Piper looked at Leo "see, that's all, we became friends, and I help her discover who she was"  
"You tried, turns out I didn't inherit any of my mum's powers, but I still choose to life a wiccan life and sometimes I can feel the energy of a place, but that's about it."  
"Honey, you don't choose Wicca, it's part of you, don't you see that" Phoebe said.  
"and Dans okay with that?" piper asked.  
"For the most part, it doesn't make him uneasy or anything, guess I now know why, and he's my fiancé, not my boyfriend"  
Piper smiled "yeah he had a bad time of it here, I aged him once, froze him a couple of times too. I think he blocked a lot of things out."  
Debbie smiled "he says you were the clumsiest people who knew, because of how many times the windows got broken"  
"Usually demons"  
"I get that"  
"Listen, this had been fun, but Dan will unfreeze very soon, so back to places" Piper said just in time as Dan unfroze.

"In coming what!" Dan said as he started moving.  
"Just me!" Paige said trying to hide any inconsistencies between the periods Dan was frozen. "I like to make an entrance" she said shrugging her shoulders.  
"Tools" Leo explained "I'll go get them."

"soooo" Piper said trying to think of something to relive the silence "your engaged"  
"When did….i didn't…"  
"I saw the ring"  
Debbie held her hand out "it was my mother's"  
"It's beautiful"  
"just hope it brings me as much luck as it did her"  
"I'm sure it will, you two look happy"

"Here" Leo said handing Dan a tool box "keep them for a couple of days of you need"  
"Thank you" Dan was still uncomfortable about borrowing things from his ex girlfriends husband "anyway, we should go, a lot to fix before viewings tomorrow."  
"It was so nice to meet you all" Debbie said with sincerity "blessed me" she added with a smile as the door closed after her. 


End file.
